A gamma ray burst, the most powerful explosion known in the Universe, may have hit the Earth in the 8th Century.

In 2012 researchers found evidence that our planet had been struck by a blast of radiation during the Middle Ages, but there was debate over what kind of cosmic event could have caused this.

Now a study suggests it was the result of two black holes or neutron stars merging in our galaxy.

This collision would have hurled out vast amounts of energy.

The research is published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Nature’s snapshot

Last year, a team of researchers found that some ancient cedar trees in Japan had an unusual level of a radioactive type of carbon known as carbon-14.Continue reading the main story “Start Quote

Gamma ray bursts are very, very explosive and energetic events”

Professor Ralph Neuhauser University of Jena, Germany

In Antarctica, too, there was a spike in levels of a form of beryllium – beryllium-10 – in the ice.

These isotopes are created when intense radiation hits the atoms in the upper atmosphere, suggesting that a blast of energy had once hit our planet from space.

Using tree rings and ice-core data, researchers were able to pinpoint that this would have occurred between the years AD 774 and AD 775, but the cause of the event was a puzzle.

The possibility of a supernova – an exploding star – was put forward, but then ruled out because the debris from such an event would still be visible in telescopes today.

Another team of US physicists recently published a paper suggesting that an unusually large solar flare from the Sun could have caused the pulse of energy. However some others in the scientific community disagree because they do not think that the energy produced would tally with the levels of carbon-14 and beryllium-10 found.

So now German researchers have offered up another explanation: a massive explosion that took place within the Milky Way.An image showing a solar flare on 6 March 2012 A solar flare has also been put forward as the cause of the radiation

One of the authors of the paper, Professor Ralph Neuhauser, from the Institute of Astrophysics at the University of Jena, said: “We looked in the spectra of short gamma-ray bursts to estimate whether this would be consistent with the production rate of carbon-14 and beryllium-10 that we observed – and [we found] that is fully consistent.”

These enormous emissions of energy occur when black holes, neutron stars or white dwarfs collide – the galactic mergers take just seconds, but they send out a vast wave of radiation.

Prof Neuhauser said: “Gamma-ray bursts are very, very explosive and energetic events, and so we considered from the energy what would be the distance given the energy observed.

“Our conclusion was it was 3,000 to 12,000 light-years away – and this is within our galaxy.”

Although the event sounds dramatic, our medieval ancestors might not have noticed much.

If the gamma-ray burst happened at this distance, the radiation would have been absorbed by our atmosphere, only leaving a trace in the isotopes that eventually found their way into our trees and the ice. The researchers do not think it even emitted any visible light.

Rare events

Observations of deep space suggest that gamma ray-bursts are rare. They are thought to happen at the most every 10,000 years and at the least once in a million years in a galaxy.Continue reading the main story “Start Quote

The gamma ray burst explanation is about 10,000 times less likely to be true”

Professor Adrian Melott University of Kansas

Prof Neuhauser said it was unlikely Planet Earth would see another one soon, but if we did, this time it could make more of an impact.

If a cosmic explosion happened at the same distance as the 8th Century event, it could knock out our satellites. But if it occurred even closer – just a few hundred light-years away – it would destroy our ozone layer, with devastating effects for life on Earth.

However, this, said Prof Neuhauser, was “extremely unlikely”.

Commenting on the research, Professor Adrian Melott from the University of Kansas, US, said that although he thought a short gamma-ray burst was a possible conclusion, his group’s research suggested that a solar flare was more likely based on observations of Sun-like stars in our galaxy.

He said: “A solar proton event and a short gamma-ray burst are both possible explanations, but based on the rates that we know about in the Universe, the gamma-ray burst explanation is about 10,000 times less likely to be true in that time period.”

Dual-focus contact lens prototypes ordered by Pentagon
LJ Rich By LJ Rich Reporter, BBC Click
iOptik contact lens Innovega says the lenses could be released to the public in 2014
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The Pentagon has put in an order for prototype contact lenses that give users a much wider field of vision.

The lenses are designed to be paired with compact heads up display (HUD) units – glasses that allow images to be projected onto their lenses.

Much bulkier HUDs are already deployed by the US Army and Air Force to superimpose data about targets and other status updates over users’ views.

The tech could help troops enhance their awareness on the battlefield.

The iOptik system’s developer, Innovega, told the BBC it had signed a contract earlier this week to deliver a fully-functioning prototype to the Pentagon’s research laboratory, Darpa.

The US Department of Defense had previously funded part of the Washington-based firm’s initial engineering work on the project.

“The new contract gives us an immediate opportunity to start prototyping and demonstrating elements of this new system,” Innovega’s chief executive Steve Willey said.
Multifocal

The lenses work by allowing the wearer to focus on two things at once – both the information projected onto the glasses’ lenses and the more distant view that can be seen through them.

They do this by having two different filters.

The central part of each lens sends light from the HUD towards the middle of the pupil, while the outer part sends light from the surrounding environment to the pupil’s rim.
Continue reading the main story
iOptik contact lens

By building two filters into each lens, close-up and distant light sources are both in focus

Watch more about how the iOptik system could transform how we see the world around us

The retina receives each image in focus, at the same time.

“Normally, for example, with a camera you focus on something distant or something close – but you focus on a particular spot,” said Mr Willey.

“By wearing our contact lens you automatically have this multi-focus, or dual-focus, and you are doing something that humans don’t usually do.”
Augmented reality

The chief executive said he also hoped to license the technology to be sold to the public.

One suggested application would be to allow users to watch what appear to be big-screen 3D movies on their glasses – with a different image projected to each lens.

Other potential uses include augmented reality eyewear similar to that teased by Google in its recent Project Glass demo, and a device to offer gamers a more immersive experience.

The lenses are still going through clinical trials as part of the US Food and Drug Administration’s approval process, but Mr Willey said he was confident the tech should be available to the public towards the end of 2014.
Concept graphic of HUD glasses Innovega believes the lenses will allow the use of sunglass-style HUDs with built in projectors
Motion sickness

However, one eye expert suggested that a similar technique had proved problematic when used to treat post-surgery cataract patients.

“Two superimposed images tend to be degraded and lower in contrast,” said Prof Gary Rubin from University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology.

“I question whether a multi-focal contact lens is the right solution.

“If you’re walking around with a heads up display on, the image projected on the lens could mask your peripheral or central vision. And if it’s magnifying the image or changing the way it moves when your eyes move, you could get motion sickness.”

With the promise of helping you visualize the digital world, Innovega has arrived with a stunning and creative idea that is sure to make your eyes pop out in surprise! Well, not exactly pop out but definitely get a tiny bump on them as you wear the contact lenses manufactured by the company. These iOptik lenses enhance your normal vision and make it possible for you to see augmented and virtual reality images in the same way as you would see the normal world in your day to day life – true immersive VR at the blink of the eye! After years of researching and designing better optics and eyewear, the ultimate solution has arrived, seemingly in the form of an upgrade for the eyes themselves.

iOptikiOptik

The normal way to view virtual or augmented reality is via devices that sit slickly on one’s face. Since the eyes cannot focus on the images that are so close, the devices fool them into thinking that the image is actually farther away. However, these devices are quite bulky when compared to the eyes. Contact lenses have long been used to modify the eyes. They can also create a suitable modification to help the eyes see things that are very close. However, contact lenses find it difficult to keep the world in focus while helping us view extremely close things. Innovega has solved these problems in an innovative manner.

It has created a contact lens that has special filters and secondary lenses that block out all extraneous light from close-up displays other than a narrow beam that is refocused by the lens itself. Thus, digital images are presented by the micro-display in full color and these images can be viewed by the iOptik lenses without impacting the normal vision. This means that if the display that you are holding up to your eye is transparent, you will be easily able to navigate in the real world. The field of view is not obstructed or limited by the tiny images as it happens in head-mounted displays. At the same time, the virtual images too fill the field of view. 3D gaming and movie viewing thus become highly immersive and augmented reality applications get added ‘dimensions’!

The focusing optics are present in the center lenslet that is present on the contact lens. Thus, the thickness of the display no longer matters in creating the 3D effect and feel. It can be as thin as necessary without any compromise on the field of view. This means we can now easily think of an IMAX-style sunglasses display with an eighty degrees field of view. This translates into viewing a 200-inches sized display from 10 feet or a 40-inches sized display from just two feet.

These magical contact lenses are being currently prototyped for military use. However, consumer versions should be ready two or three years down the line. This is awesome news for electronics manufacturers who can now think of a million ways to exploit the potential of the iOptik.

Cliff Allen of Terrafugia explains what makes the vehicle unique
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US company Terrafugia has put on display a prototype car that is licensed to fly as well as drive, at the New York International Auto Show.

It is the first vehicle in the world to have met both the standards of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), according to Cliff Allen, Vice President of Sales at Terrafugia.

This makes it the first “street legal aeroplane”, he said.

Known as the Transition, the versatile vehicle has two seats, four wheels and retractable wings.
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We were curious to see how it would take off”

Dr Samuel Schwegart Engineer, Terrafugia

It is expected to be available next year, with a price tag in the region of $279,000 (£176,300).

Test flight

The vehicle currently has an experimental certificate from the FAA, meaning the company has permission to fly it in US airspace for test purposes. The company hopes in time it will gain a light sport aircraft licence.

The hybrid vehicle completed its first successful test flight at Plattsburgh International Airport near Montreal in Canada last month.

A retired US Air Force test pilot took the maiden voyage – after volunteering his services.
Transition Transition completed a successful test flight on 23 March this year at Plattsburgh International Airport

“We are very fortunate to have found him,” said Dr Samuel Schwegart, an engineer at Terrafugia working on the project.

The vehicle flew at 1,400 feet for eight minutes.

However, important details still need to be worked out from test data, including the stall speed of the aircraft.

There are significant design challenges marrying a roadworthy vehicle with a skyworthy one, according to Dr Schwegart.

“We were curious to see how it would take off,” says Dr Schwegart. “Unlike a normal plane, it cannot rock back on its rear wheels at the moment of take-off, because it is designed to be stable as a car on the road.”

The engineers also found that Transition needed more speed than anticipated on take-off, to generate the necessary lift for ascent.

A hard landing was also reported, but nothing of concern, according to Dr Schwegart.

Maintenance levels

“You can pull up at a regular gas station to fill it up”, says Dr Schwegart. A full tank holds 23 gallons (87 litres) of fuel.
Transition The vehicle has retractable wings allowing it to fit in a suburban garage

It requires Premium 91-octane fuel, and does 35 miles to the gallon (6.7l/100km) on the road, and 28 mile (8.4l/100km) in the air.

“The discrepancy is because of drag,” according to Dr Schwegart.

Although Transition can be stored in a normal garage, it needs a 1,700-foot (520-metre) runway to take off.

According to the company, this is no problem, as there are 5,000 state airports in the United States. And there are a further 5,000 private ones, which might just mean a simple runway belonging to a farmer in a field.

Terrafugia calculates that you are rarely further than half an hour from a take-off point – and there are apps like Foreflight which will tell you where the nearest one is, whether you are on the ground, or up in the air hoping to come down.

The initial target market was existing pilots, but the company is now reaching out to people with no aviation background.
Transition Terrafugia says the New York Auto Show has expanded their order book

The vehicle offers an “advanced level of freedom in life, more efficiency in personal travel”, according to a company representative.

The company currently has 100 pre-orders, which in their current small production facility in Woburn, Massachusetts, already means a two-to-three-year backlog.

With a range of 644 miles (1,035km) on a full tank, the vehicle could in theory make a non-domestic journey. For the time being, however, the vehicle is restricted by its licence to flying in the United States.

By Stefan Schultz
Compared to other euro-zone countries, the economic outlook is rosy in Germany.Zoom
Getty Images

Compared to other euro-zone countries, the economic outlook is rosy in Germany.

Its neighbors may be suffering, but the euro crisis has created conditions that actually benefit the German economy. Not only is the government enjoying the windfall of negative interest rates on bonds, but unemployment is down and exports are booming.
Info

It’s every debtor’s dream. When asked for a loan, the bank not only agrees, but actually pays the borrower for their patronage. It sounds like a fairy tale, as though the laws of the market economy had been suspended. But on Monday it really happened.

The debtor in this case was the German government, which borrowed €3.9 billion ($5 billion) for the next six months at the unbelievable interest rate of -0.01 percent. Even the German Finance Agency was stunned. “This has never happened before,” a spokesperson said.

The Finance Ministry should be pleased. In the last four years, they’ve had to shell out around 1.8 percent in interest for such bonds. But recently even interest rates on German bonds with longer maturities have decreased significantly. The federal government is saving a bundle.

The reason for the windfall? Amid the ongoing euro crisis, Germany is one of the few borrowers that are still regarded as a safe haven. Many investors would rather lend the government money at bargain-basement rates than risk losses.

Half of Europe Suffers While Germany Profits

Other countries can only fantasize about such a bonanza. Italy is currently being forced to pay record interest rates of some 7 percent on 10-year government bonds because investors lack confidence in the government in Rome. Questions remain over whether Prime Minister Mario Monti will succeed in reducing the government’s €1.9 trillion mountain of debt without stifling the economy. Meanwhile bond yields in crisis-stricken countries like Spain and Ireland have also risen sharply.

It has become a rule of the euro crisis: While a number of euro-zone countries suffer, Germany profits. The crisis may slow economic growth in Germany, but there are also a raft of crisis-related mechanisms that help the country profit at the expense of other nations. As long as a big euro-zone crash doesn’t materialize, this cushions the effects of the downturn for Germany.

A recent projection by the Munich-based Ifo Institute for Economic Research found that the economies of France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus would likely shrink in 2012. The German economy, on the other hand, is still expected to grow by 0.4 percent this year.

The imbalance between Germany and many other euro-zone countries is most apparent on the job market, though. Euro-zone unemployment now averages 10.3 percent, but in Germany the figure sank to 7.1 percent for 2011. Last year, just under 3 million unemployed people were registered out of 82 million residents in Germany. By contrast, the number of unemployed in Spain recently reached 4.42 million out of just 45 million residents.

German Firms Profit from Weak Euro

As mass protests form in Spain due to high unemployment among young people, Germany is benefiting from an influx of new skilled professionals. An increasing number of southern Europeans looking for work are heading north to prosperous Germany. The number of Greek immigrants rose by 84 percent in the first half of 2011 to reach some 4,100 people, according to the Federal Statistical Office. The total number of immigrants rose by 19 percent year-on-year for that time period, reaching 435,000.

But that’s not all. Indirectly, Germany also profits from a simple symptom of the crisis — the weak euro, which has fallen to about $1.27, its lowest value since Sept. 2010.

For German companies, the sinking euro acts as a kind of crisis buffer. While it reduces demand for German products within the euro zone, these make up only around 40 percent of the country’s exports. But for the rest of the world, a weak euro means cheaper German products, which means they’re more competitive.

Indeed, German exports grew by 2.5 percent month-on-month in November, reaching €94.9 billion. Compared to a year earlier, exports were up by an impressive 8.3 percent. The crisis notwithstanding, exports for 2011 as a whole surpassed the historic trillion-euro level, a benchmark not even reached during the boom year of 2008.

]]>http://frankmurphy.co.uk/2012/01/11/europes-crisis-is-germanys-blessing/feed/0Best 10 Christmas stocking fillers from amazonhttp://frankmurphy.co.uk/2011/12/08/best-10-christmas-stocking-fillers-from-amazon/
http://frankmurphy.co.uk/2011/12/08/best-10-christmas-stocking-fillers-from-amazon/#commentsThu, 08 Dec 2011 22:38:29 +0000http://frankmurphy.co.uk/?p=145Continue reading →]]>Well its starting to feel a lot like christmas in the Murphy household thought I would put together a list of my top ten Christmas 2011 stocking fillers
First has to be the brilliant Nikon D3100 DSLR with the 18-55vr kit lens I bought one of these earlier this year as an upgrade for my superb Nikon D40, I am so glad I made the upgrade this camera is brilliant. I am going to post a review on it at some point.

Two The iRobot 581 vacuum cleaner we have the 555 and its brilliant!!

Three The iPhone 4S I have been a bit of a late developer when it comes to apple but the iPhone is the best gadget I have ever owned period.

Four Its got to be a iPad 2 we have a one and a two the 2 is so much faster and smoother to use, don’t get me wrong the iPad original is still a great gadget to have!

Five I like my coffee fresh and black and this little coffee maker gets it spot on every time, fresh coffee in like a minute and its half price too..

Six I like running but now its winter and wet I hate my feet getting wet so I got a pair of Brooks Ghost GTX they are so comfortable, light and waterproof great for running any distance I usually run from 1 to 10 miles these are the most comfortable running shoes I have ever had, the second best I have are another pair of Brooks in my opinion they make the best running shoes treat yourself . Oops or a loved one my wife is getting the ladies version of these for Christmas

Seven A professional outdoor weather station is a must I’ve had mine for a year thinking about it, it was my Christmas present from my wife last year, I love it and my 8-year-old is starting to get into it. Always great to be able to quickly check the weather conditions I had it at one point running a java program to my old website on Drupal where I could check the weather on my iPhone.

Eight A sledge a friend recommended this a snow cruiser we havent tried it yet come on snow… but it looks great and robust

Nine a pool table got it in the summer great delivery from amazon the delivery guys set it up in the garage I’m having lots of fun with this, tho need to sort out a woodburner for the garage now.

Ten a cast iron multi fuel wood burner I havent got this yet but im probably going to get this one looks solid and capable.

It should finish at ten but I do have to add as one of my friends has got one this year and he says it’s absolutely brilliant… A hot tub in the garden

All of us in the Murphy household would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and prosperous 2012 !!

Ferrari’s in Japan cause the most expensive car crash ever!
Eight Ferraris, three Mercedes-Benzes, a Lamborghini and two other vehicles were involved in the pile-up in the southern prefecture of Yamaguchi.
Whilst no one was seriously injured several of the cars have been damaged beyond repair. Car enthusiasts estimate the damage £2.46 million pounds or $3.85 million dollars
An eye witness claims the cars were driving fast about 140-160km/h (85-100mph) one of the Ferraris tried to change lane but the driver lost control and hit the crash barrier. The car spun and hit another car which had a knock on effect where all the cars collided together
Highway patrol lieutenant Eiichiro Kamitani told AFP news agency. “I’ve never seen such a thing,” “Ferraris rarely travel in such large numbers.” The road was closed for over 6 hours as the cars and debris was recovered. The drivers were on an outing to the city of Hiroshima

]]>http://frankmurphy.co.uk/2011/12/05/ferrari/feed/0Ripped OFF buying online – Character Planethttp://frankmurphy.co.uk/2011/12/05/ripped-off-buying-online-character-planet/
http://frankmurphy.co.uk/2011/12/05/ripped-off-buying-online-character-planet/#commentsSun, 04 Dec 2011 23:14:02 +0000http://frankmurphy.co.uk/?p=136Continue reading →]]>
Buying anything from a website like Character Planet instantly creates a contract of trust primarily on the buyer’s side as they have to trust the seller in this case characterplanet.co.uk is honest and will deliver said goods or services, if you’re buying in store this is obviously easier to check the said goods or services as are expected but when buying from a website mostly it’s from the description and photo’s of the item.
So what happens when you decide to buy from a website such as Character Planet which you think is a reliable and trustworthy online retailer, then receive the goods and they are not as advertised or as in the website pictures or even matching the pictures on the email sales confirmation?
Presumable you contact the website as in here Character Planet you have purchased the item from and let them know there is a problem, I have had this issue a few times in the past and the issue has been resolved by the website apologising and sending the correct item ASAP with a paid returns label or envelope.
However I have now bought a t-shirt from Character Planet, characterplanet.co.uk I thought was a trustworthy seller only to find the t-shirt doesn’t match the website description, email receipt or website pictures, so I thought I will contact the website only to find an item which I have paid normal delivery charge and express delivery charge for they don’t answer there emails for nearly 5 days, then in their email they state it’s not their fault. So does that mean its mine?
According to them it’s their suppliers fault. I thought I was buying from their website not their suppliers. I can at my expense return the item I ordered and they will send me the correct item I ordered. I have a few issues with this, why should I pay again, it’s their fault. Why should I return the item without receiving the correct item I have paid for? Character Planet don’t like to resolve customer disputes and would rather protract them so customers just give up and put it down to a bad experience, So if you are thinking of buying from this site whether in the UK or overseas I would advise if there is a problem you are more likely better to just throw your money out the front door!!

]]>http://frankmurphy.co.uk/2011/12/05/ripped-off-buying-online-character-planet/feed/0Roomba® 555 Vacuum Cleaning Robot Reviewhttp://frankmurphy.co.uk/2011/12/02/roomba-555-vacuum-cleaning-robot-review/
http://frankmurphy.co.uk/2011/12/02/roomba-555-vacuum-cleaning-robot-review/#commentsFri, 02 Dec 2011 14:23:02 +0000http://frankmurphy.co.uk/?p=132Continue reading →]]>
I bought our Roomba® 555 Vacuum Cleaning Robot well over twelve months ago now. Its fantastic if your thinking of buying one it’s brilliant on laminate and wooden flooring, it’s okay on carpets too just needs a bit more maintenance on cleaning the brush. Picking a negative point the charging station can get moved out of position and even if it’s in the right position the Roomba still sometimes takes ages to dock. This is only a little problem but considering how good the Roomba is designed what is going on with the charging station.
Looks like it about the same price as I paid last year from their website. My friend bought it cheaper from EBay and it’s not the same one it doesn’t have a programmable timer. Which is a great feature once a day Roomba automatically cleans when no one is around. I would give it 9.5 out of 10 just let down a bit by the docking station.

Welcome to Meka. We are a provider of world-class robotic systems for researchers. At Meka we develop human-safe, human-soft, and human-scale robot technologies that will enable the robots of tomorrow to work alongside people in the home and the workplace.